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#risk-management

Risk Management

Strategies for identifying and mitigating business risks including insurance

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9 min read

New York's FAIR Business Practices Act: What the 2026 'Unfair and Abusive' Standard Means for Small Businesses

New York's FAIR Business Practices Act, effective February 17, 2026, adds "unfair" and "abusive" conduct standards to GBL Section 349, extends protection to small businesses and non-profits, and carries penalties up to $5,000 per violation — or $15,000 for willful ones. Here is what changed, who enforces it, and a seven-step compliance checklist for any business selling to New York customers.

Mike Thrift

small-businesscompliancelegal
7 min read

When the CPSC Recalls Your Inventory: A Bookkeeping Guide for E-Commerce Resellers

Under the Consumer Product Safety Act, selling recalled products is illegal regardless of business size — and Amazon can bill recall refunds back to third-party sellers. This guide covers the three bookkeeping steps a recall triggers for e-commerce resellers — writing recalled inventory off the balance sheet under GAAP, recording reimbursements separately from revenue, and documenting disposal — plus why the accounting write-off and the IRS tax deduction often land in different periods.

Mike Thrift

e-commerceinventorycompliance
6 min read

The EEOC's New National Enforcement Plan: What It Means for Small Businesses in 2026

On June 4, 2026, the EEOC adopted a National Enforcement Plan for FY2025–2029 that shelves disparate-impact claims, targets DEI programs with quotas or identity-based preferences, and keeps retaliation a standalone priority. Here's what shifted, why enforcement priorities change small-employer risk even without new law, and five documentation and policy steps to take now.

Mike Thrift

small-businesscompliancelegal
9 min read

FMCSA Repeals CDL Conviction Self-Reporting: What the July 2026 Rollback Actually Changes for Small Trucking Fleets

FMCSA's June 2026 final rule, effective July 22, 2026, eliminates three redundant requirements — CDL holders self-reporting convictions, keeping a paper ELD manual in the cab, and auto-returning roadside inspection reports — citing ~25,000 unnecessary violations in 2024. Annual MVR checks, driver qualification files, and inspection-report retention remain fully in force, and state-level reporting statutes may still apply.

Mike Thrift

truckingcompliancesmall-business
7 min read

The FDA Just Bought Food Businesses 30 More Months on Traceability — Don't Waste Them

The FDA moved the FSMA 204 Food Traceability Rule compliance date 30 months, from January 20, 2026 to July 20, 2028, and Congress barred earlier enforcement. The rule itself is unchanged — FTL foods, seven Critical Tracking Events, Key Data Elements, and 24-hour sortable records — so here's who's exempt and how small food businesses can build a compliant traceability plan without enterprise software.

Mike Thrift

compliancesmall-businessrecordkeeping
9 min read

Fuel Hedging for Small Manufacturers: Forward Contracts, Price Caps, and Cash-Flow Hedge Accounting Under ASC 815

With diesel at $5.02 a gallon in June 2026, small manufacturers can hedge fuel costs without a futures account — supplier fixed-price and price-cap contracts do the job, and ASC 815 cash-flow hedge accounting keeps the gains and losses in OCI until the fuel is actually consumed. Here's how the instruments, the common mistakes, and the documentation requirements work.

Mike Thrift

risk-managementsmall-businessaccounting
8 min read

A $7 Million Seller Note Just Sent a 59-Unit Franchisee Into Chapter 11: What Every Franchise Buyer Should Learn From It

A Phoenix operator that bought 93 fast-food restaurants in 2023 filed Chapter 11 in July 2026, disputing a $7.04 million seller note over allegedly undisclosed liabilities. The case shows why setoff clauses, escrow holdbacks, facilities diligence, and seller solvency checks matter in any seller-financed business purchase.

Mike Thrift

business-acquisitionbuying-a-businessfinancing
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